The Exhibitionist Interview: New Berklee Film Scoring Guy

Dan Carlin is taking over as chairman of Berklee's Film Scoring Department. The school's blurb tells us he won an Emmy Award for his work on "Under Siege," was nominated for an Emmy for The Temptations mini-series and has collaborated with artists ranging from Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Phil Ramone, David Foster, Francis Coppola, Michael Mann, Alan Silvestri, and Danny Elfman.

Here's my e-interview.

What are your hopes for this job?

The most attractive facet of this job is this: I have not been hired to fix anything. Don Wilkins and his team created a unique department that is respected internationally for the quality of its programming and the success of its graduates. Of course I want to make improvements wherever they may be necessary; of course I want to gain increased funding, more working space, and greater honors for the students, staff, faculty, and college alike. But my primary goal is to ensure, especially at this time of revolutionary change in the media-music business, that we provide our students a full education that combines both the best theoretical and historical perspective with a practical and pragmatic approach to the real-world opportunities and challenges that await them.

Convince me, a man who has never been able to take Barry Manilow, why I should be a believer.
Listen, there is a legitimate reason that Barry Manilow has enjoyed great success. I'm prejudiced because I have worked with him a couple of times, and I was extremely impressed--not only with his talent, but with his professionalism. You certainly are entitled to dislike his style of music; and his fans may not be people you'd want to set up housekeeping with. But, I'm telling you this guy is a great musical talent. Let me tell you a related story that does not involve Barry. Once for a GRAMMY-in-the-schools program, I moderated a panel for about 600 urban high-school students. One of the panelists was Josh Groban, who, during the question-and-answer period was asked by a young girl to sing anything a capella. That really scared me, because I was afraid that the kids would snicker, or boo, or in some other way cause a scene. But, when Josh sang a verse and chorus of David Foster and Carole Bayer-Sager's Golden Globe-winning song "The Prayer," the kids not only were respectful, but they burst into sincere and boisterous applause. And the lesson I learned that day is this: people respond positively to great musicianship--even if it isn't the type of music they are willing to buy. So, go see Barry Manilow perform sometime; then get back to me.

List the 5 most (in your opinion) underappreciated film scores.

Okay, in no particular order:
1) Marlon Brando directed only one film in his career: ONE EYED JACKS, starring Karl Malden and Brando himself. The score was written by Hugo Friedhofer, an Oscar winner (BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES) and 8-time Oscar nominee, but not for this score, which in my mind is a western classic, combining a fabulously romantic theme with gritty melodrama and ethnic flavoring.
2) Georges Delerue won an Oscar for A LITTLE ROMANCE, and wrote the music for over 350 other projects, including AGNES OF GOD, JULIA, DAY OF THE DOLPHIN, and ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS--all Oscar-nominated scores. He was more internationally honored for his collaborations with the great French director Francois Truffaut, including the classic JULES AND JIM. A Delerue score that was not nominated was for the Herbert Ross film STEEL MAGNOLIAS, starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, and a host of others. The music mirrors and complements this film as it begins with ebullient joy, peaks at overwhelming tragedy, and concludes on a note of eternal optimism. The music that enters in the moments following the main character's death and resolves at the funeral is as heartbreakingly beautiful as you will ever hear.
3) An important film-executive (who wouldn't want to be quoted in print) commented to me that Ennio Morricone had a better grip on THE MISSION's script than did the director. This score is probably my favorite of all time. Morricone manages to combine traditional music from the Latin mass with native polyrhythms, indigenous voices, and soulful symphonic melodies. And he does so after introducing them individually so that they evolve throughout the length of the movie in a most skillful and artistic manner. Although nominated for an Oscar, this score lost out to ROUND MIDNIGHT, which is another story.
4) Jerry Fielding was nominated for 3 Oscars, and would have received greater recognition had he not been blacklisted during America's notorious McCarthy era. Jerry wrote a great score for Sam Peckinpah's THE GETAWAY, starring Steve McQueen. I was knocked over when I heard it, but very few others ever had the opportunity because it was tossed out at the instistence of McQueen--not for musical reasons, but--now don't be shocked-- for political reasons.
5) Jack Nitzsche was one of the very first film composers to come from the rock world. He therefore seemed an improbable choice for director John Byrum to score HEART BEAT, the story based on Carolyn Cassady's autobiography (as a sort of response to Jack Kerouac's beat memoir ON THE ROAD, in which she played a major role). Nitzsche had the great sense to hire Shorty Rogers to arrange all of the jazz charts, and Jack wrote a killer theme for Carolyn. This score is bebop at its best, arranged and performed by some of the major musicians of that era, including Pete Jolly, Shelly Manne, Pete Condoli, Bob Cooper, and Art Pepper, who played the alto solos. I loved this score and hope to get my hands on it again sometime.

What's a good example of a film score that doesn't work.
Hey, I may be moving to Boston, but I still have family in Los Angeles.

How did you get into this business?
Just like almost everyone else: nepotism. My Dad was after me for years to join him in the film-music business, but I grew up in the 60s when most of us were dead set on saving the world. When I failed to accomplish that, I started working with my Dad. I am forever grateful to him for inviting, training, and then allowing me to grow on my own. He was a wonderful music editor and a fabulous mentor to me, my siblings, and dozens of others.

What instrument do you play?
These days I play AT the piano and guitar. But at one time I was a pretty good brass player (trumpet, baritone horn, trombone), and bassist (upright and electric). I was never good enough to compete with studio musicians, but I did luck into some early conducting gigs, so I studied formally to achieve some sense of legitimacy at that.

What's the most familiar/popular song we can hear you on, or you at least touched in some way?
Can't brag about a song, but I did conduct most of the music in both THE BLACK STALLION and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, which are not bad to listen to. I also produced all 53 of the re-recordings you hear on the soundtrack for THE TEMPTATIONS miniseries--and that was really fun, especially if you're into Motown music.

John Williams or Randy Newman?
I've not had the pleasure of working with either John Williams or Randy Newman, but I know and admire both of these guys. Did you know that John started as a studio piano player? (That's John playing piano on Henry Mancini's original theme to Peter Gunn.) John not only is the most highly regarded film composer in our business, but he also is known for being the complete gentleman. And his is the only studio where you still can walk in and find only a piano, a dozen sharpened pencils, and blank manuscript paper.

As for Randy Newman, here's a guy who could sell tickets to his scoring sessions just to watch him on the podium. In fact, I firmly believe that the musicians would play for free just to be included on his dates. This is the funniest guy making music in Hollywood. I also think that he is an absolutely brilliant composer who has managed to bring into his scoring the irony displayed in his songwriting. And, in my opinion, no one since Copland has managed to deliver symphonic music that is so identifiably American.

Bernard Herrmann or Elmer Bernstein?
I never met Bernard Herrmann, but I understand and appreciate your desire to acknowlege his greatness. Try looking at a Hitchcock film without the music-- for instance, the driving scene in Psycho after our heroine is stopped by the highway patrolman. She's just driving, and there are only 3 camera angles, and nothing happens, but the music gives you incredible tension.
As for Elmer Bernstein, well, he was a family friend, so I am quite prejudiced. My sister, Kathy Durning, was his music editor for over 20 years, starting with AIRPLANE. Elmer's uniquness was in remaining excellent while composing in such a wide range of styles. And when he fell out of fickled favor, he went over to Europe and reinvented himself with wonderful scores to small independent films like MY LEFT FOOT and THE FIELD. I also liked Elmer because his sense of artistry and esteem would not allow him to tolerate the degrading treatment occasionally dished out by directors. He even walked off a stage once. Ahh, those were the days.